Baseball as a prism of America- Sociological trends Race Labor
Class Power Politics Fashion Economics Religion
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Baseball passes along values? Hard work and social
mobility-Horatio Alger Teamwork
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Why does baseball still matter? Many leisure options-why
baseball? Doesnt fit our modern pace Slow compared to basketball Do
we yearn for a mythical pre-industrial Garden of Eden in our past?
The good old days
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Baseball and Minorities Hank Aaron/Curt Flood Myth of sports as
opportunity for minorities Black participation in major league
baseball 1972-27% 2007-8% Absence of fathers in black
communities?
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Baseball and Minorities Jackie Robinson failed to end racism
Larry Doby integrates the American League Boston Red Sox
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Baseball and Capitalism-Supply Baseball salaries 1869-George
Wright was paid $1400/season 1930-Babe Ruth got $80,000 2010-Alex
Rodriguez-$27,000,000
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Baseball and Capitalism-Demand Valuation of teams New York
Yankees-$1.5 billion Florida Marlins-$277 million
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Baseball and Economics Franchise shifts from frost belt to sun
belt Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland Community
identification of fans vs. economic motives of owners From working
class Brooklyn to Hollywood glitter American business
outsourcing
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Baseball and political science Democracy and other issues A
citizen militia or a professional army? The umpire Foul lines Team
play
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The American Myth and the Mission of Baseball-foreign relations
Is American culture perfect? 1846, 1898, 1960s, 2000s-American
misadventures according to some
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Baseballs Missions Exporting baseball 1874 mission to England
1888 mission to the world 1913 mission to Japan
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Baseball and Unions Strikes in the 1800s The Major League
Baseball Players Association is formed in the late 1950s The strike
of 1972 The strikes of 1981 and 1994
Slide 17
Baseball Quiz How many baseball teams are there in California
and what are their names? How many ways can a batter reach first
base? Name the pitcher who, commenting on giving up a record 505
home runs in a career, said, I served up home run balls to Negroes,
Italians, Jews, Catholics, alike. Race, creeds, nationality, made
no difference to me.
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Baseball Quiz Who starred in the movie The Jackie Robinson
Story? No outs, bases loaded. The first baseman catches a foul fly
and falls into the stands. What happens next? Leave runners at
their current base? All runners advance one base? All runners
advance two bases?
Slide 19
Baseball Quiz What is the name of the Pittsburgh Pirates
ballpark? Who was the first president to throw the ceremonial first
pitch of the major league baseball season? As of 2009, which
industry is the title sponsor of the most major-league stadiums?
Banks Insurance companies Beer companies Communications companies
Food companies
Slide 20
Baseball Quiz Who is the first woman to umpire a major league
baseball game? What is the difference between a walk-off home run,
a wall-cough home run, and a Walkauff home run?
Slide 21
Vocabulary List Baltimore chop Can of corn Ducks on the pond
Ice cream cone Painting the black Uncle Charlie Yellow hammer
Baseballs antecedents Old cat Goal ball Town ball Sting ball
Soak ball Burn ball Round ball Base
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Baseball history-a series of important turning points
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Early Baseball-1840s A game for gentlemen
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Turning Point-getting paid-1860s Paying to see a game A new
proletariat?
Slide 34
The first all-professional team Cincinnati Red Stockings-1869
Baseball card-$64,073
Slide 35
Harry and George Wright Manager -George Shortstop-Harry-
$1400/season
Slide 36
Turning Point Two-Labor wins a short-lived victory 1871
Formation of the National Association of Base Ball Players
Slide 37
Turning Point Three-Capital triumphant 1876 Formation of the
National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs The hated reserve
clause
Slide 38
Turning Point Four-The banishment of African-American
ballplayers All-black clubs 1860-1887 Moses Walker
Slide 39
Turning point five-The rescue of major league baseball by Ban
Johnson Problems in the National League Rowdy fans Dirty play Owner
disagreements Concentration of talent
Slide 40
Turning Point Six-Baseballs Theme Song
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Turning Point Seven-The Black Sox Scandal
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Charles Comiskey
Slide 45
Turning Point Eight-Babe Ruth The Babe The Bambino The Sultan
of Swat The Wali of Wallop The Wazir of Wham The Maharajah of Mash
The Rajah of Rap The Caliph of Clout The behemoth of Bust
Slide 46
Babe Ruth Merchandise
Slide 47
Babe Ruth the writer
Slide 48
Babe Ruth the actor
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Turning Point Nine-Jackie Robinson
Slide 51
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Turning Point Ten-Baseball moves west From Brooklyn to L.A. New
York Giants to San Francisco
Slide 53
Turning Point Eleven-The End of the Reserve Clause Curt Flood
The Seitz decision
Slide 54
Baseball and the Movies
Slide 55
Genres of baseball movies Fiction The Natural, The Bad News
Bears Non-fiction Cobb, Fear Strikes Out Documentaries When It Was
a Game
Slide 56
The Natural-Fiction
Slide 57
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The Bad News Bears-Fiction (comedy)
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When It Was a Game-Documentary
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Heroes Who needs them? Early stars Cobb, Johnson, and Ruth
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Slide 66
Interpreting America Archaeology History of language Feminist
scholarship Baseball?
